Shrinking Man or Running Man???

This last week of the round has meant a few different things have needed to be done.  Weigh in was on Wednesday and I was over the moon with the results.  24.5kgs is a huge feat and I am extremely proud of that.  We also had to complete our fitness test and measurements for the end of the round.  Now this is something that needs to be done, but as I have mentioned in previous posts, it causes me a little anxiety as I always wonder whether or not I will be able to improve my times and if I have lost any cms.

How crazy is that?  Who am I competing against?  Only me of course and there is no rewards for beating the last times, or dropping cms other than being happy with yourself.  At the end of the day, if I don't beat my time, who cares?  I have lost weight, improved my fitness and feel like a million dollars.

Well the time came and my wife ripped out the tape measure.  After all was completed the website showed me that I had lost, in 12 weeks, an amazing 86.5cms off this body.  UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!  Who would have thought that is possible in such a short space of time.  I have gone from a size 44-46 pants, down to a 40 (which is in fact nearly too big for me already) and sneakily tried on and purchased a size 38 the other day.  Bit tight at the moment but they can do up and will be perfect in a few weeks.  This was an amazing feeling knowing I had shrunk so much.

Fitness test time, which includes a 1 km time trial.  First time I recorded a time of 7:19 which also included some walking due to my lack of fitness.  After this I was determined to get under 5:30 which is the time Michelle determines as the worst to fit into the advanced bracket.  Who would ever think that the Big Man could ever fit into the advanced runner class.  Not me, but that was my goal.  The last time I did 4 weeks ago was 5:48 which was a great time and nearly killed me as one of my previous posts clearly states.  How was I going to wipe 19 seconds off that.  I had no idea.  I was not feeling that well anyway, as I had over-indulged at dinner, but had to get it done.  Oh well, if I miss the time so be it.

I went to my local park where I do my time trial and decided I was going to go out as hard as I could at a pace I thought I could sustain for the most beneficial time.  That lasted for about 400 metres, then the wall smacked me well and truly between the eyes and the paced started to drop off.  I felt like dinner was going to come back for another visit and the legs were not my friend either.  In fact at that time I think all of my body hated me.  Oh well, you will get over it.  I was not giving up and pushed on.  

When I hit the 750m mark I knew I was going to be able to finish with a bit of a push, but would that push be enough.  I would like to think I was sprinting at the end but it was hardly the sort of finishing kick you see from the Kenyan middle distance runners, more like a wounded elephant trying to escape the grasp of a hungry lion.  Oh well, how many elephants have to run 1 kilometre time trials?  I pushed hard to the end and stopped the watch.  Trying to fight back the dinner that wanted to see the time as well and also work up the strength to look at the time I was gobsmacked to see that it was 5:17 and I had achieved my goal.  Sadly I was to buggered to really savour the mount but now I can sit here and bask in my glory of being able to say that I am in Michelle's elite class of running for the time trial.

Me a runner, who would have thought........